


A Gentle Hand

by ZionAngel



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Season 3 Spoilers, Wicked Witch of the West - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 06:05:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1294162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZionAngel/pseuds/ZionAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle steals her True Love’s dagger away from the Wicked Witch, and prays that her kiss will make him remember who he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Gentle Hand

**Author's Note:**

> So THIS little diddy (http://whispersfromgold.tumblr.com/post/79087486220/be-gentle-with-me-please) came across my dash this morning, and just about killed me. How fortunate that tonight’s episode gave me a plot bunny to use it.

Belle will never be quite certain how she got the dagger away from that damned green witch. One minute they are all standing in the middle of the street, the witch standing tall and arrogant in front of them, the sound of massive wings circling overhead, and her true love standing not five feet in front of her, alive and real and with no hint of recognition in his eyes. The witch keeps a tight grasp on the dagger, the greatest power she had at her command. Then there is chaos and fighting and screams until somehow, some way – maybe she gets lucky, or manages to trick the witch somehow, or hell, maybe she even summons magic through love and sheer force of will – but all in an instant, Belle holds the dagger in her hand, and Rumpelstiltskin is in front of her, staring at it with wide eyes.

“Take us somewhere safe,” she commands, and she hears a ferocious, infuriated scream as the world falls out from under her.

When she finds her feet again, it is dark and quiet, and she can only just make out the shape of Rumpelstiltskin. She looks around, her eyes adjusting to the low light, and recognizes the little log cabin out in the middle of the woods. She goes to the window, scanning the dark woods for any sign of danger, even though she knows they are miles from the battle in the center of town. She can’t help but check the lock on the front door, just in case.

“We should be safe here. The others should be able to handle her now that she can’t control you with the dagger.” She looks down at the dagger in her hand, her true love’s name clearly etched into the metal with dark letters. She nearly crumples with relief, her body letting go of far more tension than she realized she was holding.

She turns around and panics for a split second before she finds him again, his back against the wall. Even though he is hidden in a dark shadow, she can see the way his whole body trembles, his face terrified and on the verge of tears. Her heart breaks at the sight, and she slowly crosses the room.

When she is halfway to him, he looks up at the dagger, then to her face for the briefest of moments. She pauses, not wanting to startle him.

“Please…” he whispers, his voice hoarse and so low she can barely hear it. “Be gentle with me… please…”

Belle can’t breathe for a moment as she realizes what he must think of her – with no memories of anything but being the witch’s slave, he must assume that she means to enslave him as well, to treat him exactly as the witch did. She dreads finding out what exactly that entailed, but she forces that thought and all others down. Right now, the only thing she cares about is keeping her true love safe.

She sets the dagger down on the nearby table, careful not to make too much noise, but still enough that he notices what she’s doing. “Rumpelstiltskin,” she murmurs, moving towards him. Does he even know his own name?

He is still shaking, and slides down to the floor, not able to keep himself standing. She kneels in front of him, just close enough to touch. He won’t look at her, his entire body shaking and radiating fear.

“Rumple.” As slowly as she possibly can, she reaches out a hand, until her fingers just brush his cheek. He startles, his breathing coming fast, and he finally looks at her with huge eyes, full of fear and confusion. She reaches further, until she cups his cheek in her hand, and strokes her thumb over his skin. She smiles as best she can. He looks so utterly confused.

“I will never, _ever_ hurt you,” she swears, her voice shaking. “I _promise_. I love you, Rumple.”

She lifts her other hand to his cheek, cradling his face, and caresses him for the longest time, over and over until his breathing slows, and she sees just the tiniest glimmer of trust in his eyes. She smiles sweetly at him, and prays with all her might, and leans forward until her lips brush against his.

She pours every last bit of love she possesses into the kiss, willing it to work, to save him, to break his curse, and praying that if it doesn’t, it will at least make him believe that she means him no harm.

Finally she pulls back, just inches away from him, still stroking his cheeks. When his eyes open, they bore into hers, down to her very soul. “… _Belle_ …” he whispers, so low she doesn’t know if she even heard it.

She isn’t sure which of them begins sobbing first, only that in the next moment he is in her arms, holding her so tight she can scarcely breathe, his face buried in the crook of her neck. She just holds him, petting his hair and letting the tears fall down her face, whispering over and over and over again that she loves him, that she’s hear, he’s safe, and that she’ll never let anything happen to him again.


End file.
